Skiers find more snow than stamina in northern Wisconsin

I was alone Tuesday morning on the Escanaba Trail, but had plenty of company in the contingent of snow-starved skiers from southern Wisconsin who headed north on word of significant snow blowing off Lake Superior.

It was true.

Cross-country skiers have been finding better than expected conditions on the Birkebeiner Trail and adjacent trails near Hayward, and superb snow around Minocqua, Eagle River and Ironwood, Mich.

Sara Knutson, from Shorewood, has been on a ski tour during a break from her studies at Boston College. She sent along this report.

Day 1: Three Eagle Trail

Tucked in just south of Eagle River, I didn’t realize the Three Eagle Trail existed until trail reports started appearing regularly on Skinnyski. It turns out that Three Eagle is part of the growing bike trail system in Vilas County, and it makes for decent skiing, as well.

While the 8-kilometer strip is almost entirely flat, the scenery is gorgeous. Most of the trail winds through woods, but it repeatedly pops out into marshes and bogs, traversing bridges and boardwalks—which, thankfully, had enough snow to avoid ski scrapes.

For those who want a relaxing, easy ski, Three Eagle is a nice option and one that’s easily accessible.

Day 2 and 3: Minocqua Winter Park

With its 75 kilometers of regularly groomed trails, Winter Park has become a top skiing destination in Wisconsin, particularly for southern skiers in low snow years. Unsurprisingly, it’s been packed all week, the chalet brimming over with skiers and families.

Winter Park cultivates its reputation as a family-friendly park, with snow tubing, ice skating, and snowshoeing all available. Even my friend Sarah and I couldn’t resist the cookie trail, actually created for kids. We skied along the 5.5-km loop, punched our cards at mailboxes along the way and happily accepted fresh-baked cookies upon our return.

My friends and I explored Winter Park on both classic and skate skis and found the conditions very good. While the base is thin, the groomers have done exemplary work, and the skating in particular was smooth. Classic tracks were being set as snow levels improved inch by inch, and we took full advantage.

Winter Park has a good variety of terrain, with both novice loops and twisting hills, and it unfolds across a huge tract of land—far more than its competitor in Ironwood, ABR. While ABR makes the most of its limited land through narrow loops and hairpin turns, Winter Park’s trails venture surprisingly far from the chalet to destinations like Lake Marie, which had the best conditions in the park.

While its prices are steeper than those of Wisconsin’s state parks and forests, Winter Park’s vast trail network ensures that skiers will run out of energy long before they run out of trail. We definitely did.

Day 4: Wolverine Ski Trails

For most of December, Ironwood, Mich., has been the undisputed king of snowfall. While nearly all of Wisconsin remained brown, the constant lake-effect snow from Lake Superior allowed Ironwood ski areas to open before Thanksgiving and snow has fallen steadily since.

While my friends and I love the better-known ABR, our interest in new places took us to Wolverine Ski Trails nearby. The trails, maintained by the Wolverine Nordic Ski Club, are essentially built into the side of Powderhorn Mountain. As a result, hills are ubiquitous.

Wolverine’s conditions were less than perfect, but not because of lack of snow. Rather, the base had begun to grow icy and needed fresh snow to till in—snow which came after we left that night. Even so, the hills were fun yet manageable, with the main Wolverine loop providing good rolling terrain and the Cliffhanger trail offering steeper ups and downs.

A huge open area near the chalet creates a space for trying out tricks or teaching lessons, and Wolverine Village across the street has the most convenient lodging in town. Together, Wolverine and ABR provide a one-two punch that can easily sustain three full days of skiing, with Wolverine providing a smaller trail system but equally enjoyable—and more scenic—terrain.

Smooth skating found on the Wolverine Trails. Photo by Sara Knutson

Day 5: Private Trails

My friends up north live and work at Conserve School, a semester-long, environmentally-focused school that maintains ski trails for its staff and students, so with high winds on Sunday, we stayed home and broke our own trail in the falling snow.

The trails we skied are not open to the public, but they raise a helpful point: skiing can happen outside of well-known resorts and parks.

For example, Camp Manito-wish, in Boulder Junction, rents its winterized buildings to groups and maintains ski trails only usable by its guests. Many state natural areas have broad paths that can be skied in. Some school districts even maintain school forests that are open to public use.

For our part, we wandered through the school trails and took a few runs down the sledding hill, the family dogs sprinting joyfully alongside. While I usually dream about a beautifully set track, the day was a reminder of the added solitude and beauty that accompanies a little backcountry skiing.